Break Through
by Yuu Leiko
Summary: To try and keep the class troublemaker, Joey Wheeler, in check, the new transfer student Seto Kaiba has become his partner in every class they share. Unknown to them, they both start to chip away at each others thick layer of armor which they've built around themselves. But in the duel between the dragon and the mutt, who will break first? Puppyshipping YAOI
1. Chapter 1

**Yuu: Just a small thing I've been writing during school.**

Kyo: So enjoy!

_Leiko: We don't own YuGiOh, the characters, or anything in this!_

* * *

"Hey, wake up!"_  
_

...

"I _said_ wake up, Blondey!" Exclaimed Marik in a hushed whisper. The blonde shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his friend proceeded to kick his chair. He slowly opened his eyes to glare at Marik. "What 'da hell?! I was sleepin'..." He muttered, closing his eyes once more. Homeroom was the only class he had a chance to relax in. "Come _on_, Joey! This is important!" Whispered Yugi, who was sitting in front of him.

"Yeah, you're not gonna friggin' believe this!" Laughed Marik. Joey looked forward without removing his head from the desk. "What're ya two talkin'-" He stopped mid-sentence, understanding why his friends wanted him up. Standing at the front of the room was a tall brunette with piercing blue eyes that Joey had never seen before, despite the fact he was wearing his schools uniform.

The two made eye contact for a split second, and Joey's heart skipped a beat. But as soon as the brunette looked away, with a slightly disgusted look upon his face, Joey only slumped back down in confusion._ ('Da hell was wit' 'dat reaction? He doesn' even know me!) _"Class, this is Seto Kaiba, a new transfer student. He'll be joining us for the remaining semesters, and I expect you all to treat him well. Now let's see... where to put you..."

Joey froze, realizing that the only empty seat was to the left of him by the window. He slammed his head down on the desk, as the teacher came to the same realization. "Ah! There's an open seat by the window next to Joey. Mr. Wheeler? Would you please raise you're hand?" Grumbling, Joey lazily raised his hand, but kept his head face down on his desk.

Rolling his eyes, Kaiba headed over to where his new seat was, and sat down, not making eye contact with anyone. "Geez, what's got your panties in a twist?" He muttered, sneaking a glance at the brunette. Grunting, Kaiba turned to face his new classmate. "I have to sit next to a guy that smells like dog," he said, pinching his nose with his fingers.

At the insult, Joey shot up from his desk. "What'd ya say to me?!" He exclaimed, grabbing Kaiba by the collar. "J-Joey! He just got here, don't pick a fight!" Pleaded Yugi. Kaiba simply smacked Joey's hand away, with seemingly minimal effort. "Don't touch me mutt," said Kaiba, as he glared at Joey. "Why you-" Joey went to punch Kaiba in the face, but was held back.

When he turned around, he saw both Yami and Marik standing behind him. "Don't start again, Joey," said Marik, as he released Joey's arm. "There's no reason for you to get in trouble over a petty argument," continued Yami, who shook his head. "Don't fault him for what he does not understand," he added, receiving a confused look from Kaiba, and a saddened look from Joey's friends.

"Even I know 'dat much, Yams'," said Joey, as he made his way from the room. "Joey! Where're you going?!" The blonde only waved before walking out the door. "Let him go, Aibou," said Yami, gripping Yugi's shoulder. "But Yami, he's still hurt!" Explained Yugi, a pleading look in his eyes. "Just let the dumb kid go!" Exclaimed Bakura, who appeared behind Marik.

"Bakura, you could have said it nicer," muttered Ryou, who stepped out from behind Bakura. "Yeah, he doesn't exactly have a way with words," said Malik, who walked up alongside Marik. As the group started to get lost in conversation, Kaiba sighed, and decided to show himself around the school. Looking at his schedule, he saw his next class was gym, and decided to head over since he had already eaten lunch.

He found his way to the locker room, and glanced at his schedule to see his locker number. _(Row 6... number 218...) _When he turned the corner, he saw Joey sitting in a bench, his shirt tossed in the floor off to the side. He was peeling off a large bandage off of his rib cage, and that was when Kaiba noticed the bruising. Across his arms, on his back, and from the little he could see of his sides, there were large bruises, some in the shape of a fist, covering his skin.

_(His skin is so pale... He must bruise easily...) _"You lose a fight or something, mutt?" He asked, as he found his way to his locker. The blonde shot around, a surprised and worried expression on his face. "W-what're ya doin' here?!" He stuttered, as he quickly started to change his remaining bandages and gauze pads. Kaiba smirked, as he began to unlock his locker.

"I have gym next. Figured I'd get a head start," he said, as he glanced back at the blonde. "You never answered my question, though. What happened?" He asked, almost sounding generally concerned. Joey shook his head, as he reached for his gym shirt. Kaiba saw his muscles flex as his body moved. For as slim as the guy was, Kaiba figured his weight must have been all muscle.

When Joey turned to face him, the sunlight from the window hit him at just the right angle. His large brown eyes seemed to be specked with gold, and his blonde hair and pale skin almost seemed to glow. Kaiba ignored his racing heartbeat, and waited intently for the blondes answer. "It's nothin'," he muttered, as he headed toward the door, while their other classmates started heading in at the sound of the bell. "Don' worry 'bout it."

* * *

Joey's first month dealing with Seto Kaiba... _absolute hell_. Kaiba used _every_ chance he got to mess with him. And what was worse for Joey? Kaiba seemed to be having_ fun_ teasing him. Though he'd never admit it, Joey could see it in Kaiba's eyes that he was truly enjoying himself, no matter how cruel his words sounded. Though Joey seemed to always be in the receiving end of Kaiba's taunts, he had to admit that messing with Kaiba was a good distraction from his troubles at home.

The two were forced to be partners in_ every_ class they shared. Why? Because most of the teachers hated Joey for his knack for getting into fights, and they felt that the respected CEO of Kaiba Corps. would be able to keep him in check. For the most part, it seemed to be true. Well, he seemed to be only fighting Kaiba, that is. Despite the fact he hadn't been fighting, he still came to class covered in bruises most days.

"Can't you do anything right, mutt?!" Exclaimed Kaiba. The two were now in chemistry, and Joey had a little mix-up with some chemicals, causing the substance to heat up, smoke, then start a small fire. "I mixed together what ya said to! And if your so smart, why didn' ya do it yourself?!" He yelled back, and he pulled down his sleeve to try and pat the flame.

"I said to mix the blue one! Not the purple one! That was potassium permanganate and glycerol you mixed together, idiot!" He exclaimed, as he moved the chemical-filled bottles out of the way. "They look exactly 'da same! Next time, you should just- Ah!" He said, as he pulled back his sleeve. The fire was put out, but Joey seemed to have burned himself in the process.

"Damn mutt," grumbled Kaiba. "Why didn't you just get some water?!" Joey seemed to have not heard Kaiba, as he was too busy waving his arm around, yelling, "Hot! Hot! HOT!" Rolling his eyes, Kaiba quickly reached out his hand and grabbed Joey's arm. He pulled it towards his body, and surprisingly gently, pulled back Joey's sleeve.

"Tch. It's not_ that_ bad," said Kaiba, as he examined the small burn. The bruise slightly visible further up the blondes arm seemed worse. "Seto, could you please escort Joey to the infirmary? Better safe than sorry," said the teacher. She motioned to the door as Kaiba led Joey out of the room, hearing the snickering from his other classmates.

"Geez, you're such a pain in my side, you know that, mutt?" He asked, as he continued with him down the hall. "W-well I never said ya hadda come with! I know my way 'dere!" He exclaimed, blushing slightly knowing he was causing trouble for everyone. "I hafta go 'dere sometimes, so I know how to handle it. You can go back to class," he muttered, as he lowered his head, hiding his eyes with his bangs.

"... Because you're hurt so often?" Kaiba asked softly. He noticed the blonde tense slightly at his remark. "Seems I hit the nail on the head... The teachers have been saying since I got here, you've gotten into less and less fights. And I've never seen you fight, either. So how do you keep getting those bruises on your body?" He asked, generally curious. Joey glared at him. "And what's it matter to you?! Why should _you_ care if I'm hurtin' or not?!" Kaiba looked taken aback by his question.

Why _should_ he care? He barely even knew the guy, and he was annoyed at everything he did. But... even so, he couldn't help but admire him. Joey was the only person that didn't seem to care about his social status, and would challenge Kaiba head on, even knowing he would probably lose. He never got scared when Kaiba glared at him or got angry, like most of the others.

Even when everyone else seemed to be down, Joey would always try and be that one ray of light in the darkness, even though Kaiba could see the hurt in his eyes. He never let his own problems worry others, and was always there to help his friends. Kaiba had to admit, he liked the guy- _(Wait... what?!) _

"Uh, Kaiba? You gotta weird look on your face... Ya okay?" He asked, seeming to forget their previous conversation. _(See? There he goes again! Worrying about others before himself...)_ "I'm fine, mutt. Now go get your burn checked out, alright?" He asked. Joey looked surprised at first, but then shrugged it off. "Kay!" He exclaimed, as he smiled and took a step back. "See ya!" He said, before stepping into the nurses office.

Kaiba smirked, as he was left standing in the middle of the hall. He leaned against a nearby wall, and crossed his arms._ (That damn mutt... it's only been a month since I transferred here, and yet... towards him, I can't help but feel somewhat anxious_._.. But I can't have him knowing this, now can I? That'd take away all the fun I've been having.)_

After all, he wouldn't want to take away the opportunity of an entertaining challenge... right?

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**Yuu: -_- Ya know? I really planned on this being a simple one-shot. Of course, all of my plans are BLOWN TO BITS!**

_Leiko: What ever! More chapters for us!_

Kyo: True. Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Yuu: I... I honestly don't have any excuse as to why it's taken 2 months to write this. Sorry guys! Here's some side-pairings for ya though!**

_Leiko: I feel like you spend every chapter for every story with an apology!_

Kyo: She probably does XD We do not own YuGiOh, the characters, or anything in this.

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"Is this game _ever_ going to end?!" Questioned Yugi, as another ball was thrown at him. Stepping in front of him was Yami, who deflected the ball with another, sending it back across the court. "You okay, Aibou?" He asked. Yugi smiled in appreciation. "Yeah, thanks Yami," he said, as Yami ruffled his hair. He then turned back to face the one who threw it.

Bakura was scowling at him from across the court, with Ryou standing behind him. He gave an apologetic nod to Yami, before turning on Bakura. "I've told you not to throw it so hard, Bakura! Yugi and I are no good at dodgeball!" He reached up and pinched him in the arm. Bakura turned to glare at the smaller boy, who didn't even flinch at his look.

"The hell, Ryou?! This is war, and I'll be damned if I lose!" He exclaimed, before picking up another ball, and throwing it at one of Yugi's teammates. Ryou rolled his eyes, but laughed anyway at Bakura's serious attitude. "Even so, take it down a notch!" Malik appeared behind Ryou, holding a dodgeball. "Not everyone can take a hit from one of your throws."

As he said this, a ball came flying at a high-speed toward his face. He held up his own just in time to block it. "What the hell, Marik?!" He questioned, yelling across the court. "I thought we called a truce?!" Marik smirked in response, and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a pathologic liar! You of all people should know that!" He exclaimed, giving him a wink.

"Tch. Whatever," he said, as he glanced around the gym. With Marik catching a ball thrown by Malik's teammate, Tristan, the game was left to 4 v. 4. Yugi, Yami, Marik, and Joey versus Bakura, Ryou, Malik, and Kaiba. However, Joey and Kaiba were practically off in their own world. The two were somewhat isolated towards the end of the court, basically having their own match.

"It's _their_ fault this game has been going on for so long," noticed Yami. "They've never gotten out once! We should be in our second or third game by now," he said. Yugi tried to muffle his laughter, but failed. "What is it?" Asked Yami. Yugi only shook his head. "N-nothing," he said between muffled laughs. "I-it's just, your blaming Joey and Kaiba, but it's your guys' faults too!"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "How so?" He asked. "Well, all of you, save Ryou, Malik, and I, are ridiculously good at this game! It be at a complete stand-still if you guys stopped deciding to quite when we're the only ones left," he said. "I'm only still in because you take it upon yourself to save my skin, and the same's for Bakura and Ryou! Malik for the most part can handle it, though."

Yami chuckled. "I suppose you're right," he said, as he glanced between Joey and Kaiba. Looking over at their teacher, he noticed that he was in the corner... sleeping. Yami sighed, and sat down, crossing his legs. "W-what are you doing, Yami?" Asked Yugi. He shrugged, and motioned toward their teacher. "He's sleeping, and neither Kaiba nor Joey'll back down. Might as well drop out now," he said nonchalantly.

Seeing his point, Yugi sat down as well, followed by Marik, Malik, and Ryou. Bakura looked mad about his fun ending, but let it go seeing Ryou's relieved face. Now their attention turned to the only two still playing: Kaiba and Joey.

* * *

"Just give it up Mutt!" Called Kaiba, as he threw another dodgeball towards Joey. He easily dodged it, and returned it with one of his own. "I don' think so!" He yelled back. "I ain't lettin' ya beat me in this!" He heard his other classmates groan in disapproval, but ignored them. Allow Kaiba to win? Over his dead body! He wouldn't back down from a fight with Kaiba, _that_ much was sure.

"Tch. You _know_ I won't let you win!" Kaiba called back. Well,_ that_ much _was_ true. Every time there was some sort of contest that involved a 1st and a 2nd place, the two would just go right at it. "Same to you, Moneybags!" Responded Joey. As the two continued on, the rest of the class groaned in annoyance. "Just finish him off, Kaiba!" Called one. Joey turned his head to yell at the kid, when suddenly pain shot up in his side.

Grunting in pain, Joey fell to his knees, and held his side. _(That's where dad hit yesterday... of all the times for it to act up!) _Joey closed his eyes, expecting Kaiba to hit him in his moment of weakness. But when he looked up, Kaiba was in front of him, wearing a slightly concerned look on his face. "What's wrong with you, Mutt? I haven't even hit you yet," he said, looking down at Joey.

Feeling the pain reside, Joey stood back up, and shook his head. "It's nothin', just an old injury actin' up. I'm fine." Kaiba arched an eyebrow, looking as though he were about to protest, when suddenly the bell rang. Their teacher waking up, he called them in to go and change, leaving words unsaid between Kaiba and Joey.

* * *

"-and that's the assignment. Any questions?" Joey slammed his head into the desk once his teacher was done explaining their next project. It was a partner project, and Joey, of course, was partnered with Kaiba. If that didn't make things bad enough, it was also a project that they'd have to work on after school. Which meant he'd have to go over to Kaiba's. There was no way in hell he'd bring him over to his own house.

Joey didn't know why, but he was desperate to hide his home life from Kaiba. He already didn't like the fact his friends knew about it, but if Kaiba were to get a hold of that specific bit of information... it probably wouldn't end well. Sighing, Joey glanced over at Kaiba, who was sitting back in his seat, smirking. Joey arched an eyebrow. What the hell was he smiling about?

But as Kaiba turned his head, he saw Joey watching him, confused. Rolling his eyes, Kaiba's smirk disappeared, replaced with his normal smug expression. "What are you staring at Mutt?" He asked. Joey sat up, and turned to face him. "W-well, I um... 'dat is, ah... Wait, who you callin' mutt?!" He exclaimed, looking for a fight. He desperately wanted a distraction right now.

Kaiba chuckled lightly, and was about to respond, but the bell cut him off. Yet again, it was another rare day Joey dreaded having to leave school. It's not like he normally wanted to go home, he just didn't want to stay in school. However, today...

"Are you coming, Mutt?" Called Kaiba from the doorway. Joey scowled. Of _course_ they had to start the project today. "Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'," he muttered, as he waved goodbye to his friends, who looked at him with pity. Joey followed Kaiba out the door and down the halls without saying a single word. Unknown to Kaiba, Joey caught the few times he glanced back at him.

It wasn't normal for Joey to be so quiet, and he was wondering what was up. It wasn't until they'd left school grounds that Joey spoke up. "Uh, Kaiba? Where exactly are we goin'?" He asked. Though he didn't know for sure, he'd heard Kaiba always rode in a limo to and from school. Joey was some what looking forward to riding in one, seeing as how it'd be his first time.

Kaiba caught the slight pout and disappointment in his tone, and suspected what Joey had wanted. "No limo today, Mutt. I have to pick up Mokuba today. He was really adamant about it for some reason." Joey arched an eyebrow, as he stepped up to walk alongside Kaiba, instead of behind. "Who's Mokuba?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"My younger brother," responded Kaiba, and Joey's eyes widened. "Y-you have a brother?!" He asked. Kaiba nodded as he glanced at him. "Why do you sound so surprised at that?" Joey shrugged, then scratched the back of his head. "Don' know. Just don' see ya as the brotherly type, I guess." Kaiba rolled his eyes as they reached his brother's school. It was only a block or two away.

"Yeah, well, despite what you may think, I'm really a-"

"Big brother!"

Kaiba was cut off as a high-pitched voice called out to him. A small, long-haired boy was running toward them. "Hey Mokuba," responded Kaiba, as the boy jumped into his arms to hug him. Joey was literally stunned. To see Kaiba show all this affection was pretty surprising, given his usual demeanor. "You know, I didn't think you'd really come to pick me up!" Exclaimed Mokuba.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I? Anyway, why did you want me to pick you up? I would have seen you at home, anyway," he responded, and Mokuba started pouting. "No you wouldn't have! You're always at work! So I thought you could come pick me up so I can see you..." Kaiba smirked and ruffled Mokuba's hair. "Well I'll be home today, though I do have a project to work on."

Mokuba looked up at Kaiba and smiled. "Yay! That's fine, but... who's that?" He asked, pointing at Joey. Kaiba chuckled, glancing over at Joey. "That's the mutt. You don' have to pay him any attention, Mokuba, he's not that important." Joey scowled at Kaiba, before bending down and holding his hand out to Mokuba. "I'm Joey. I go to school with Kaiba. Nice to meet ya!"

Mokuba shook Joey's hand, but narrowed his eyes at Kaiba. "You're acually bringing a friend home? That's weird," he muttered. Kaiba rolled his eyes, then urged Mokuba out of the school grounds. As Joey followed after, he realized something. Kaiba never denied Joey being his friend. So did that mean he actually considered Joey one? He shook his head. Kaiba probably just didn't care enough to deny it.

As the three continued down the street, Joey dragged behind the Kaiba brothers lost in thought. He couldn't shake a feeling of uneasiness. Deciding to ignore it, he continued to trail behind and listen in as Mokuba talked about his day to Kaiba.

But it was then things took an unexpected turn for the worse. As they passed an alley, large hands jumped out too quickly for Joey to react, and Mokuba was pulled back into the darkness. Alarmed, both Joey and Kaiba ran in, only to be met with the barrel of a gun aimed right at them.

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**Yuu: I know I'm terrible to you guys. After 2 months of waiting, you get a cliffhanger. **

_Leiko: You better not take long to update then!_

**Yuu: I'll try TT^TT**

Kyo: Please Review!


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